Lost, then found
by Hamster Tamer
Summary: Shorty piece. Alex is lost, but Nikita always manages to find her in the end. Alex/Nikita with faint traces of Nikita/Michael.


Author's note: I'm not even sure where this fits into the second season's timeline. Ah well. Nikita doesn't belong to me, but I do have a hamster named Alex. Clearly, however, the Alex in this story is no rodent. So I don't own her either. Brickbats or bouquets, toss them my way!

* * *

SOMEHOW, Nikita always managed to find her.

Alex thought it was dumb luck at first - even she did not know she was going to check in to this hotel till an hour before the flight, when Amanda texted her the location and room number. Alex had been on quite a number of small "approved" missions for Division since she broke ties with her mentor. Half the time Nikita would find her somewhere and almost disrupt her missions. The other half Alex would spend looking over her shoulder, certain there were a pair of eyes staring at her back.

This time, the all-too-familiar warm brown eyes looked questioningly at her. Their owner lounged in an uncomfortable-looking leather armchair as Alex walked in. She would have jumped, but let's face it, she already knew this was going to happen.

"Are you practicing witchcraft or something?" Alex asked, shaking her head as she tossed her carry-on onto the bed. She stood against the door as she shut it.

Amanda had gone budget on her this time. The room was the smallest the hotel provided, but they were in Hong Kong, where even residential apartments tended to lack the cat-swinging roominess Alex has gotten used to back home.

Nikita smiled, standing up from the small armchair next to the tiny desk. She kept her hands open, no gun. "No, I just have really good instincts. Also, this hotel is the only one with vacancies while the district is packed to the brim in preparation for the International Defense Convention."

Alex glanced at the table and saw an opened mini bottle of whiskey, mostly empty. "Hey, make yourself comfortable and help yourself to the bar too, why don't you." She folded her arms when Nikita giggled. Alex was not about to be fooled that easily - Nikita could hold her liquor. "Get out of here Nikita."

Nikita wrung her hands for a second, then used them to wrap herself in a hug. "Alex, come back with us. Stop helping Division. Stop helping Amanda."

The younger woman ignored her and started to unpack her carry-on. There wasn't much inside. Just a day's change of clothes, and enough ammo to take out a small contingent of VIPs from a warring nation in South Africa. Alex busied herself with taking out the clothes, even though she normally never did that when she reached a hotel. Looking at Nikita so sad and distressed tugged at her in a way even being with Nathan, and then losing him, never managed to do.

"I'm giving you one last chance before I get unpleasant, Nikita. Get out of my -" Alex froze as a pair of slender, cool arms wrapped her from behind. Nikita draped herself easily to Alex's back and rested her chin on her protege's left shoulder. "What. Are. You. Doing."

"I'm tired of chasing you to the ends of the earth, Alex. I'm sorry about what happened all those years ago, so let me make amends. Don't run away," Nikita said, nuzzling her neck. Alex bit her lip to catch the moan that nearly, just nearly escaped. She turned around and tried to push the woman away.

"Stop it! I wasn't the one running away from the truth. I confronted you with the fact that you killed my father, and you tried to brush it away," Alex said, angrily. Her voice broke. "And you've found another partner now, so why do you need me anyway!"

Nikita could have been made of sponge. She could have been made of stone. Alex's fists pounding against her shoulder seemed to make no impact. Nikita ignored the attempts to push her away. She tightened her hold on Alex and made hushing noises, her lips brushing over Alex's neck and brows and cheeks, diverting tears from their predestined paths.

"I am with Michael now… It's complicated, it is. But we both know, Michael and I, that there was a limit to how long we could be together. What I feel when I am with him is very different from when I'm with you. You know that," Nikita said, her face an open book.

Alex sobbed. "You threw me away. When I was a child. And then later, when you found Michael."

"He knows we'll need to part when I get you back. I made a choice, Alex," Nikita said, rubbing Alex's back. "I'm sorry. I should never have left you. I should have fought harder."

Alex lost her balance when she stopped pushing at Nikita, and they tumbled to the bed in a heap. Clothes were removed in a hurry, tears exchanged. Somewhere along the way, Alex felt her soul - if she still had one - leap out of her body as they moved together, and she could feel Nikita with her all the time.

Later on, as the sky started to lighten, Alex woke up to see Nikita stretched out next to her, facing her. How well their bodies folded into each other, she marveled. How wonderful it felt to feel Nikita's skin break out in goose pimples as she ran her hands over the smooth expanse of stomach.

Nikita opened her eyes. She watched Alex sleepily.

"It was all right that we parted ways the way we did. There wasn't much choice," Alex said contemplatively.

Nikita crinkled her brow, and reached up to caress Alex's cheek, her look a curious one.

Alex smiled into her warm palm. "You always managed to find me in the end."


End file.
